I have been loving that so many people are getting back to making vision boards this year. There have been so many vision board parties going on it is unbelievable. I did not get to attend any of the parties but I did make two vision boards. So, if you're like me and didn't get to attend any of the parties but still want to make one or you want to add to one you have already made keep reading; I want to help you. More than likely you ended up here from the video that I made to go with this post, but, just in case you didn't you can view it here.
I have been wanting to do a vision board for a long time but there were a couple of times I was waiting on friends to do it together and it got away from me. This year I wasn't going to let that happen.
First, let's start with the steps needed to complete your board.
1. Purchase or put together items
The items that I used are:
- Poster board
- stencils
- paint
- glue
- stickers
- pictures
The poster board of course serves as your base. I actually made two boards: one strictly for 2018 and the other for the next five years. I used stencils to create titles for my board. I purchased these 3 inch stencils from Michael's.
michaels.com
The only issue that I had with the stencils is that it was difficult to really make sure my spacing was good between the letters and the words. You could trace them all then paint but for me it was easier to put the paint directly on the stencils because I didn't have to worry as much about preciseness. Something much easier would be to just use large stickers, like I did at the bottom of my board.
I purchased a few different kinds of stickers from Michaels. I first searched for sets that matched things I wanted to put on the board like for buying my car...
They had several career stickers but unfortunately none for social workers. The other stickers that I bought had quotes or were blank. I used the blank ones to fill in things that were more specific like passing my licensure exams and growing my blog. Many of them were the same MAMBI stickers that I use in my Happy Planner.
The pictures that I used leads me to my next step...
2. Pinterest
Pinterest was not much help in giving ideas on how my boards could look but it was very helpful in having the photos that I needed. I originally was going to use magazines but that was going to get really expensive really quickly. With Pinterest it is easier to search for exactly what you are looking for rather than buying full magazines that may only have one or two pictures that are actually useful. I created a Pinterest board entitled Vision Board (follow here) and started pinning pictures that were inspiring to me. I used some of the photos I already had pinned and there were quite a few bucket list photos (tumblr also has several bucket list pages that I used). For goals pertaining to my blog I used photos from createherstock.com that I have access to through subscribing to her site. I also used pictures of Scriptures and quotes. Whatever inspires you, use it!!
Once you have pictures selected place several on one sheet at a time (you can adjust the sizes of each picture), print them out, cut them, then...
3. Put the Stuff on the Board!!!!!
Lol. But really, the next step that I took was placing everything out on the board the way that I thought I wanted them to look. I took pictures of the board prior to gluing everything down so that if things moved as I glued them I still had a reference.
Why Vision Boards
1."Write the vision and make it plain"
Habbakuk 2:2-4, ERV states "The Lord answered me, 'Write down what I show you. Write it clearly on a sign so that the message will be easy to read. This message is about a special time in the future. This message is about the end, and it will come true. Just be patient and wait for it. That time will come; it will not be late. This message cannot help those who refuse to listen to it, but those who are good will live because they believe it.'".
I have heard write the vision and make it plain a million times! It was when one of our preachers, Rev. Brian Fugett, used it for his New Year sermon that pushed me to go ahead and do my vision boards and focus extremely hard this year.
Photo Cred: createherstock.com
2. Seeing is Believing
Hang your board up where you see it every single day. I put mine on my wall closest to my front door so that I see them as I leave every morning. The more you see it the more you begin to believe everything you put on the board and it becomes reality. As you look at these, both consciously and unconsciously, it will recharge you and help you remain focused. Let your board be a challenge for you; push yourself to make sure you meet your goals by your set time frame.
Last Few Notes:
In the video I mentioned a book, 90 Days of Believing God by Pastor Rodney Payne who happens to be my pastor and my uncle. As I also mentioned in the video this will be going along with my boards for the first 3 months of the year. Before starting the book I wrote out a checklist for all of the things that I would like to accomplish by the end of it, most of them being more detailed extensions of what is on the 2018 vision board. As you complete goals put a check mark next to them. There is something motivating about seeing that you are already accomplishing something. You can purchase your copy here and I suggest taking notes as you read like I am doing.
onevoiceinc.org
A couple tips for your boards
- Find the balance between being realistic and having faith. This can be difficult but my thing is I don't want to limit God on what He can do in this process. Say, I went to my supervisor and asked for a raise and because I was scared I only asked for an extra $5 so that's what I got but, had I asked correctly she would have given me an extra $75. You don't want to feel like you failed at the end but you also want to push yourself.
- Be specific. So, instead of just saying I want my blog and my editing business to grow I wrote down that I want to have at least 250 readers on each post (for the first three months while I am reading the book) and I want to make at least $200 from editing jobs (for help with editing email us at notesbykhia@gmail.com). Same way in your prayer life...ask for exactly what you want.
- Decide on a time frame. I chose to do two different boards because I want a lot this year but I also needed to see the future also to help me stay focused beyond just right now. It helps me to think, yes, this is what I am going for right now but there is so much more coming. So, as these 2018 goals get hard and trials come with that I can see that I still have more to accomplish. It doesn't end here!!!
I know this post was kind of long but I wanted you all to have as much detail as you needed to help you with your board. I hope this motivated you to get started. Even if you are reading this in the middle or the end of the year it is never too late. Don't forget to post pics of your boards in the comments or tag me in your pics on social media!!